1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for shaping or managing the orbit of an asteroid, meteoroid, comet, or other space object and includes docking an interceptor spacecraft and/or any associated subvehicles in formation to an asteroid typically undergoing rotation about one or more axes using a tether loop specially designed to minimize loop instabilities, and with the interceptor spacecraft and/or associated subvehicles docked, deploying a rigidized, variable pitch, photon momentum transfer plane to adjust the orbit of the satellite. Photons from the Sun and/or an appropriately positioned laser array may be utilized.
2. Prior Art
The solar system contains many asteroids, meteoroids, and comets, moving in varying orbits around the sun. Some of these orbits intersect the Earth""s orbit and hence pose a potential threat. They are referred to as near Earth objects (NEO""s). Presently, there have been no known efforts made to adjust the orbits of NEO""s to avoid the possibility of one entering the Earth""s atmosphere, striking the Earth, and causing serious problems. Even a relatively small NEO (1-10 kilometers) impacting the Earth at hypervelocity may cause massive extinctions and the destruction of human civilization on a large scale. The dinosaurs are now believed to have been extinguished 65 million years ago by a 1-10 kilometer asteroid impacting at hypervelocity on the Yucatan peninsula. In addition to the dinosaurs, fossil records indicate that 70% of all species of life were eradicated as a result of an impact greater than multiple nuclear warheads being detonated. The only comparison we can make to the energy release from a relatively small impacting hypervelocity NEO is the detonation of our largest nuclear warheads. Thousands of NEOs presently share solar system space with the Earth. They pose a clear and present danger to human civilization. Preventing an impact has been coined by the inventor in talks given to the World Space Congress and in other venues as the Impact Imperative.
Photons are known to transfer momentum to an object as they impinge upon its surface. A reflective surface increases the momentum transferred as opposed to an absorbing surface. A need exists to use this momentum to adjust the orbit of asteroids, meteoroids, comets, or other objects in a space environment. While the Impact Imperative associated with NEO""s is paramount, secondary objectives may also be realized through orbit shaping for both NEO""s and other asteroids, meteoroids, and comets in the solar system including establishing convenient orbits for mining, outposts, observatories, way stations, as sources enabling in situ materials utilization for deep space missions, etc.
Tether technologies are maturing and have been demonstrated in space. However, no effort is believed to have been made to tether an interceptor spacecraft(s) to an asteroid.
Inflatable structure technology is a maturing area. A need exists to deploy a rigidized, photon momentum transfer plane sufficiently thick to insure structural integrity on an asteroid to utilize photon pressure acting on the plane to adjust the orbit of the asteroid.
Consequently, it is a primary object of the present invention to adjust the orbit around the Sun of an asteroid, meteoroid, comet or other object.
It is a further object of the present invention to deploy a rigidized, photon momentum transfer plane delivered by a spacecraft(s) to adjust the orbit of the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet. This plane will be sufficiently thick to insure structural integrity during all phases of operation and may be of any shape (e.g., circular, elliptical, square). Inflatable technologies (although there may be others) should be a suitable design approach.
Another object of the present invention is to tether a spacecraft along with zero or more associated subvehicles to an asteroid in order to dock the spacecraft and any associated subvehicles with the asteroid.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a spacecraft for docking with an asteroid, meteoroid, or comet. The spacecraft is launched to intercept an asteroid, meteoroid, or comet in space. Near Earth Objects (NEOs) are believed to be the highest priority objects for operations. Onboard thrusters on the spacecraft may be utilized to synchronize the orbits of the spacecraft and the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet. A tether loop is preferably deployed from the spacecraft with the loop having a diameter larger than the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet. For large asteroids, and hence large loops, the spacecraft may deploy a number of subvehicles to avoid loop instabilities as the system maneuvers to engage the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet. With the loop appropriately positioned about the asteroids, meteoroids, comets, or other space object, the tether is retracted until the spacecraft system is firmly docked against the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet.
Once the spacecraft is docked, other anchoring mechanisms may be deployed to further secure the spacecraft and/or subvehicles to the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet. A rigidized, photon momentum transfer plane is then deployed from the spacecraft and/or one or more of the sub-vehicles. The rigidized, photon momentum transfer plane is sufficiently thick to insure structural integrity with one design approach being an inflatable technology that may be filled with foam for additional rigidity. The rigidized, photon momentum transfer plane may be continuously moved relative to the surface of the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet so that photon pressure acting over time against it propels the asteroid, meteoroid, or comet in a desired manner to a safe or convenient new orbit. The source of the photons may either be the Sun or a laser system.